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Ocean State attractions make meetings fruitful

We live in the age of the meeting, at least those of us who operate in the corporate world. And that is not all bad, especially when it’s an off-site meeting in a place that offers good food, walkable cultural attractions and easy access to the natural world. Sort of like Rhode Island. READ MORE

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Getting to attractions in R.I. is part of pitch

When visitors arrive in Providence or Newport for conventions or business meetings, they are hardly stuck in one spot. They move around – from hotels to restaurants to historic sites, or golf courses and museums – and when they move, that usually means money is being spent.

To survive, small venues go ‘above and beyond’

The trend for business meetings in 2009 can be summed up as fewer, shorter, smaller, less frilly, more self-conscious and budgeted so tightly that every nickel squeaks.

Creativity becomes key selling point for city

The fact that Providence is now a branded city – “The Creative Capital,” a much-ballyhooed naming campaign that was rolled out earlier this year – doesn’t surprise those who know the city, or have heard about its transformation over the years.

Teleconferencing, video streams reduce travel

Corporate meetings have come a long way since the days of overhead projectors. Many companies no longer spend hundreds of thousands of dollars flying employees and business partners to a location. Instead, modern audio and visual production companies have transformed the corporate meeting from a cattle call to a broadband-enabled virtual experience.

Great eats help lure convention business to R.I.

A recurring theme among the state’s convention and visitor ambassadors is how large a role the vibrant restaurant community plays in booking such gatherings. The local emissaries whose pleasant job is to spread the word about the charms of Providence and Rhode Island agree, dining out is a key part of their pitch.